Liberty XL2

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"XL2" redirects here, for the Canon camcorder of the same name, see Canon XL-2.
Liberty XL2
Liberty XL2
Liberty XL2 in flight
Liberty XL2 in flight
Liberty XL2 instrument panel
Liberty XL2 instrument panel

The Liberty XL2 is a two-seat, low-wing, general aviation aircraft manufactured by Liberty Aerospace of Melbourne, Florida for the personal transportation, touring and flight training roles.

Contents

[edit] Development

The XL2 is a derivative of the Europa amateur-built kit touring airplane and motor-glider. It was type certified in 2004 under FAR Part 23 for VFR and IFR flight [1].

The Liberty was designed by Ivan Shaw, who also created the Europa. The aircraft has a composite fuselage and aluminum wings. The engine is a fuel injected FADEC(Full Authority Digital Engine Control) equipped Continental IOF-240–B driving an MT composite propeller.

The landing gear is of tricycle configuration and all three gear are 4130 Chromally steel sprung. The nose wheel is free-castering and steering is by differential braking via two finger-controlled brake handles mounted on the centre console.

The wing features large fowler flaps pivoting on three scissor hinges per wing, with a maximum 30-degree deflection. The flaps are electrically powered and are controlled by a switch to the right of the radio stack. The flap indicator is a three-light system which shows when the flaps are at zero, twenty and thirty degrees. The flaps can be selected in between those settings but require visual confirmation of flap position.

The wing is rectangular with a 7:1 aspect ratio, no taper and no washout. Small stall strips are installed a few feet out from the root to aid stall performance.

The airfoil is a unique design, which the XL2 shares with its predecessor the Europa. This is a Don Dykins airfoil, designated as a “Dykins 12%”, because the wing’s maximum thickness is 12% of the chord. The airfoil is a semi-symmetrical, laminar-flow design.

The fuel is housed in a single fuselage-mounted tank with filler on the left side. The tank holds 28 US gallons useable and is fed to the engine via a simple on-off fuel selector.

The tail features a rudder mounted with a piano hinge on the right side only. The elevator is a full flying stabilator and incorporates anti-servo tabs inboard on both sides to increase pitch stick forces. The controls are actuated by dual control sticks and conventional rudder pedals.

Cockpit access is via two “gull wing” doors. The seats are mounted in side-by-side configuration in a 48 inch wide cockpit. The seats are fixed in place with ergonomic adjustment achieved with seat cushions of different thicknesses and adjustable rudder pedals.

Standard avionics include a Garmin 530 GPS-Comm, a 430 GPS-Comm and a GTX 327 transponder, along with an intercom system and audio control panel. Engine instruments are all contained within a Vision MicroSystems VM-1000 panel.

The stall warning system is a voice annunciator that says “Stall, Stall”.

Under the right side of the instrument panel is a cannon DE-9 plug providing RS-232 which can be plugged into a laptop PC to download engine monitoring information. The software to run this is included on a CD-ROM which comes with the plane. This has been upgraded recently to an EDI card (engine Data Information). This card is a memory card much like in a digital camera, and records all engine data from 0 hours, until the 2000 hour TBO and can be read with a card reader to diagnose problems and observe flight charectoristics in real time flight.

[edit] Pricing and options

As of May 2008, the Liberty XL2 had a base price of $179,000.

[edit] Avionics Packages

  • Standard VFR ($179,000)
    • GMA 340 Audio Panel
    • SL 30 Nav/Comm/Glideslope
    • GTX 327 Transponder/Encoding Altimeter
    • MD200-306 Indicator


  • Standard IFR ($188,000)
    • GMA 340 Audio Panel
    • GNS 430 GPS/Comm/Nav/Map/Glideslope
    • SL 40 Comm Radio
    • GTX 327 Transponder/Encoding Altimeter
    • GI 106A Nav Indicator


  • Advanced IFR ($198,000)
    • GMA 340 Audio Panel
    • 2x GNS 430 GPS/Comm/Nav/Map/Glideslope
    • GTX 327 Transponder/Encoding Altimeter
    • 2x GI 106A Nav Indicator


  • Upgrade To GNS 530 (Additional $5,745)
  • Upgrade To SL 30 and GI 106A Indicator (Additional $4,455)

[edit] Options

  • Interior Deluxe Seats & Trim (Sierra or Appalacian) (Additional $1,995)
  • Exterior Decals (Horizon Blue, Hunter Green, Royal Burgundy) (Additional $895)

[edit] Aircraft Type Club

The Liberty XL2 is supported by an aircraft type club, XL2 Owners.[2]

[edit] Specifications (Liberty XL2)

Data from Liberty Aerospace Website [3] [4] , the maintenance manual [5] and Plane&Pilot Magazine [6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 20 ft 3.8 in (6.19 m)
  • Wingspan: 28 ft 7.26 in (8.72 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 4.96 in (7.26 m)
  • Wing area: 112.0 sq ft (10.41 m²)
  • Airfoil: custom
  • Empty weight: 1160 lb (483.1 kg)
  • Useful load: 590 lb (267 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1750 lb (794 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× TCM IOF-240, 125 hp (93.2 kW)

Performance


[edit] References

  1. ^ Liberty XL2 :: In The News :: Latest News August 2002 (sic). Liberty Aerospace. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
  2. ^ XL2 Owners (undated). XL2 Owners. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
  3. ^ Liberty Aerospace, Liberty XL2 Performance. Liberty Aerospace. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
  4. ^ Liberty Aerospace, Liberty XL2 Specifications. Liberty Aerospace. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
  5. ^ Unknown Author, XL2 Maintenance Manual revision 2 P/N 135A-970-006, Liberty Aerospace, March 2005.
  6. ^ Plane&Pilot Magazine - Aircraft Specifications - 2005 LIBERTY XL2. Plane&Pilot Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

[edit] Related development

[edit] Similar aircraft

[edit] Designation series

XL2

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